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lauralhart's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first ebook read! I have to admit, the process was quite difficult on a phone. For the first time in years, I actually missed my Kindle.
But, finally, I conquered PocketBook Reader and completed NEW WAVES. This is an intriguing, often funny exploration of so many things! Music, privacy, piracy! Workplace racism, harassment, technology, relationships, and grief! Each topic is investigated by Lucas, our protagonist, who is mourning the loss of his friend Margo, and later his girlfriend Jill, a mutual friend of Margo’s from an online community.
Nyugen is a crisp writer, but occasionally there was a bit too much fluff for me. I couldn’t help but think about Snapchat’s disappearing chat feature when reading about Phantom. There was also a good bit of space dedicated to explaining fairly well-known terms and processes, which I felt could be deleted or skipped over (e.g., two-factor authentication, bodegas, Candy Crush-like puzzle games).
On another note, I didn’t think the sudden switch to Jill’s perspective for a chapter was warranted. After getting accustomed to Lucas, I didn’t want to try and adjust to another perspective. From that point on, the rest of the book felt disjointed to me and kept me from feeling anything for the characters’ respective resolutions.
Overall, I think this is a decent book and a quick enough read, but not one of my favorites. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.
But, finally, I conquered PocketBook Reader and completed NEW WAVES. This is an intriguing, often funny exploration of so many things! Music, privacy, piracy! Workplace racism, harassment, technology, relationships, and grief! Each topic is investigated by Lucas, our protagonist, who is mourning the loss of his friend Margo, and later his girlfriend Jill, a mutual friend of Margo’s from an online community.
Nyugen is a crisp writer, but occasionally there was a bit too much fluff for me. I couldn’t help but think about Snapchat’s disappearing chat feature when reading about Phantom. There was also a good bit of space dedicated to explaining fairly well-known terms and processes, which I felt could be deleted or skipped over (e.g., two-factor authentication, bodegas, Candy Crush-like puzzle games).
On another note, I didn’t think the sudden switch to Jill’s perspective for a chapter was warranted. After getting accustomed to Lucas, I didn’t want to try and adjust to another perspective. From that point on, the rest of the book felt disjointed to me and kept me from feeling anything for the characters’ respective resolutions.
Overall, I think this is a decent book and a quick enough read, but not one of my favorites. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.
mcwat's review against another edition
This was interesting to read alongside Joanne McNeil's Lurking, another recent release that explores many of the same ideas through a nonfiction lens: the sense of community people found on early-ish Internet message boards and what those boards' disappearance signifies, the nefarious consequences of the tech world's lack of diversity, and more.
laila4343's review against another edition
4.0
Melancholy but hopeful exploration of grief, friendship, love, and technology. Really enjoyed this debut novel. The emotional notes rang true.
anggedelosreyes's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
wrenl's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I feel like I should have liked this book more as someone who works in the tech industry and generally enjoys characters who are as socially aware as Margo. But sadly I felt a bit lost by the meandering story. I did enjoy the sci fi bits and the plot points about the tech industry, but I wanted more about Lucas, and it felt like he was always aloof, even to the reader.
maria0889's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting story. Unsure what I thought or how much I liked it.
thebluehour's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chillcox15's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. Kevin Nguyen's New Waves is a novel that proliferates the landscape of new technology industries and start-ups, the kind that glom onto either coast and either die out within a year or get sucked into a larger company with billions of investor capital to spare. In doing so, New Waves attempts to examine and critique the way those spaces replicate, enforce, and magnify white male supremacy, even as they attempt to plead ignorance; I think that on this point Nguyen's novel ultimately fails because it is at war with itself. A major aspect of this is Nguyen's treatment of the character of Margo. Margo, our narrator Lucas's best friend and accomplice throughout the working world, is a headstrong Black programmer, and its hardly a spoiler to say that, very quickly in the narrative of the novel, Margo is killed rather unceremoniously. Now, I'm glad that Nguyen doesn't really try to instill a deeper meaning in Margo's death (she isn't murdered for stealing company secrets) and that arguably becomes one of the main themes of the book, but attempting to write a novel about the mistreatment of people of color in the tech world and killing off the main Black character in order to push some of those ideas forward is not really a great look. Beyond that, it really feels like Nguyen's development of Margo feels overly self-conscious, in that he can't escape anxieties over stereotyping her and as a result most characterization feels like deliberate engagement or refutation of stereotypes which, uh, does not a great character make. Finally, beyond even that, a lot of the points that Nguyen makes about racism and sexism in the tech world feel obvious: tech companies are unwilling to make products marketed to Black people! Tech companies treat white experience of the world as a default! White women who attempt to be woke can sometimes make situations worse! I felt like the novel's commentary on these issues only came alive when it drilled down into more uncomfortable terrain, such as when Lucas has an HR charge against him for something that he felt was relatively urbane. But even then, the novel has largely become an obelisk of self-loathing, which, even if Lucas isn't white, feels akin to some of the white male novelists who have come before.
Also, feels a liiiiittle weird to basically repurpose the end of the Social Network.
Also, feels a liiiiittle weird to basically repurpose the end of the Social Network.
westontori's review against another edition
4.0
A fun, entertaining read that should be sad but doesn't make you feel sad. Cathartic and immersive and interesting. Kevin Nguyen did an excellent job.
nadia_b's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0